Paul Peter kicks off season in style in bid for first trainers title

After one month of the new season, the 17-10 being offered about Paul Peter winning his first trainers title is looking an attractive wager.

Peter has started the 2021/22 campaign in fine style and his treble at Turffontein took his total of winners for August to 17. If he continues with this strike rate, he will easily better last season’s total of 155 successes when he finished in second place behind Justin Snaith in the national log.

Peter is R300,000 ahead of Snaith in stake earnings, but the situation can change quickly when the champion trainer gets out his big guns during the Cape season.

The big question concerning Peter is whether he has another stable star like Summer Pudding to contest the grade 1 races. Catch Twenty Two is probably his best horse and the son of Elusive Fort excelled last term, winning the Dingaans and finishing a close second behind horse-of-the-year Rainbow Bridge in the Gold Challenge.

Peter sends a team of nine runners to Turffontein on Thursday and a good number are favourites to win their respective races.

In the second race, the stable introduces a R500,000 daughter of Silvano named Zanzetto. As the filly is making her debut as a four-year-old, it is safe to assume she has had her issues. The comment in Winning Form is: “Could be looking for further but has ability.”

Of the horses who have already run, Mike de Kock’s three-year-old Bethel, a R250,000 son of What A Winter, and Timbavati River make the most appeal.

Warren Kennedy has six rides for the Peter stable and in the third race he reunites with the three-year-old Warrior Captain. The one-time winner returns from an 18-week break, but the comment in Winning Form is bullish, stating “speedy, big chance”. This is the sort of comment punters want to hear instead of the usual “may need the experience” or “likely to be green”, which only tell backers the horse is still alive.

There’s an interesting situation in the fifth race in which the Peter stable are represented by three of the nine runners. Jockey arrangements would suggest the stable elect is Grimaldi, but backing the son of Dynasty comes with risks attached.

Grimaldi was costly to follow in the early part of his career and he is not certain to beat stablemate Leading Lad, the mount of Gavin Lerena. The best the other Peter runner, Major Winter, can hope for is a place.

Flying Bull and Western Fort do duty for the stable in the sixth race and Kennedy partners the former, who is set to receive 8kg from Philasande Mxoli’s mount. Foreign Field, winner of two of his last four starts, rates the danger to the Peter duo.

No surprise that debut winner Val D’Orcia has been priced up favourite for the seventh race as the son of Vercingetorix looks a promising sort judged on his first run. He takes on his elders in his first venture into handicap company and may be up to the task.

Whafeef, a R320,000 son of Rafeef, falls into the same category as Val D’Orcia following his Vaal win and his pedigree suggests he will enjoy the step up to 1,450m.

In the final leg of the Pick 6, S’manga Khumalo’s mount Miracle And Wonder can take advantage of a favourable draw to notch the second win of his career. Dark Travel and Bitter Wind rate the dangers in this 1,450m contest.

SELECTIONS

1st Race: (6) Sister Light (2) Golden Aspen (1) Kissed By Fire (5) Lilly Langtry.

2nd Race: (7) Bethel (9) Zanetto (3) Timbavati River (8) Privilege.

3rd Race: (5) Warrior Captain (7) Prince Of Fire (8) Winter Renegade (2) Kings Road.

4th Race: (6) Afraad (4) Barak (2) Captain Chorus (5) Brand New Cadillac.

5th Race: (3) Leading Lad (1) Grimaldi (7) Forged By Fire (4) Fifth Of July.

6th Race: (6) Flying Bull (1) Western Fort (2) Foreign Field (3) Prince Evlanoff.

7th Race: (7) Val D’Orcia (8) Whafeef (5) Funky Music (4) Flying Grace.

8th Race: (1) Miracle And Wonder (7) Dark Travel (11) Bitter Wind (4) Dark Vision.